Ryan, Molinaro on worker training
WASHINGTON >> Here’s a look at how area members of Congress voted over the previous week.
House
Worker Training
The House on April 9 voted 378-28 in favor of passing A Stronger Workforce for America Act (H.R. 6655), sponsored by Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., to change and reauthorize federal worker training programs. Foxx said the bill represented “a promise that as the economy changes, we will always ensure that workers have an opportunity to gain the right skills for the job,” including by increasing funding for worker upskilling efforts, and by improving oversight of training programs.
U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro, R-Catskill; and U.S. Rep. Pat Ryan, D-Gardiner, voted yes.
Museum of Play
The House on April 10 voted 385-31 in favor of passing the National Museum of Play Recognition Act (H.R. 3250), sponsored by Rep. Joseph D. Morelle, D-N.Y., to designate a play-focused museum in Rochester, N.Y., as the National Museum of Play, without making it part of the National Park System. Morelle said the museum is unique in that it “exists for the exclusive purpose of exploring the ways in which play encourages learning, creativity, and discovery, and how it illuminates cultural history.”
Molinaro and Ryan voted yes.
Stranded Sea Turtles
The House on April 11 voted 332-82 in favor of passing the Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance and Rehabilitation Act (H.R. 2560), sponsored by Rep. William R. Keating, D-Mass., to establish a grant program at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for rescuing marine turtles stranded on beaches. Keating said that by supporting a network of groups that rescue the turtles, the program would ensure that “the populations of this much-loved species continue to thrive into the future, helping to preserve a unique part of the ocean’s biodiversity for our children and grandchildren.”
Ryan and Molinaro voted yes.
Senate Nebraska Judge
The Senate on April 9 voted 78-21 to confirm the nomination of Susan M. Bazis to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for Nebraska. Bazis took her current role as a federal magistrate judge in 2017; before that, she was a county court judge in the state and had her own law firm in Omaha, and was a public defender.
U.S. Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.; and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., voted yes.
Michigan Judge
The Senate on April 9 voted 58-42 to confirm the nomination of Robert J. White to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. White has been an assistant U.S. attorney in the district since 2018, after several years in the same post in Texas. A supporter, Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said: “Mr. White has spent his career upholding the rule of law and keeping our communities safe.”
Schumer and Gillibrand voted yes.
Utah Judge
The Senate on April voted 100-0 to confirm the nomination of Ann Marie McIff Allen to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for Utah. Allen has been a judge on a district court in Utah’s court system for 4 years, after spending time as a private practice lawyer, lawyer for Southern Utah University, and attorney for Iron County, Utah. A supporter, Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said: “Judge Allen’s record and qualifications make it clear that she is exceptionally qualified to serve on the federal bench. She is an exemplary jurist.”
Schumer and Gillibrand voted yes.
GHC Emissions and Interstate Highways
The Senate on April 10 voted 53-47 in favor of passing a resolution (S.J. Res. 61), sponsored by Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., to disapprove of and void a Federal Highway Administration (FHA) rule requiring state regulators to set reduction targets for greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide from vehicles traveling on their state’s portion of the National Highway System. Cramer called the rule a Biden administration effort to circumvent Congress’s action to deny such regulatory authority to the FHA, and said overturning it in Congress would avert “the gross expense of litigating this demonstration of bureaucratic arrogance.” A resolution opponent, Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., said the FHA rule was essential because “it is simply not possible to meet our climate goals without addressing emissions from the transportation sector.”
Schumer and Gillibrand voted no.
Joint Employer Rule
The Senate on April 10 voted 50-48 in favor of passing a resolution (H.J. Res. 98), sponsored by Rep. John James, R-Mich., to disapprove of and void a National Labor Relations Board rule for determining whether two or more employers qualify as joint employers when they have the same employee. A supporter, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said the rule “forces legal liability onto franchisers for the labor decisions of individual franchise owners despite the franchiser having no operational authority over the business’s employees,” and would result in substantial harm to restaurant and other franchise owners.
Schumer and Gillibrand voted no.